Open your eyes with liner

Article By: Amy Rispel

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Eyeliner is an easy way to accentuate your eyes, But knowing how to apply eyeliner according to your eye shape is the key.

We've put together a list of different eye shapes and the eyeliner techniques that suit them best.

Of course, the shape and size of your eye can fall into more than one category, like Paris Hilton, who has small, hooded eyes. The key is to try the techniques out for yourself and see which works best.

Almond

Almond-shaped eyes are categorised into this shape because the outer corner of the eye sweeps up. Although any eyeliner style and any eyeliner — liquid, kohl or powder — can be used on this eye-shape, lining your whole upper lash line with a medium-thin sweep of eyeliner is the best way to enhance this unique and beautiful shape.

A close-up of Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai's almond-shaped eyes using the cat-eye eyeliner style to accentuate her eye shape.

Close-set

Eyes narrower than one eye-width apart are considered close-set. The trick is to avoid lining the inner corners of your eyes as it will make your eyes appear even closer. Rather, line the outer edges of your top and bottom lids to create the illusion of wider set eyes. Finish off with a soft and light eyeshadow in the crease and inner corners of your eyes.

A model rocking the winged eyeliner technique, used to open close-set eyes

Wide-set

The opposite of close-set eyes, eyes with this shape look wide apart. To downplay the space between your eyes, apply eyeliner in the inner-most corners of your eyes, moving outwards. Do not wing your eyeliner as it gives the illusion of longer eyes. Dust off with a lighter eyeshadow in the outer crease of your eye.

Supermodel Gemma Ward shows off the gorgeous wide-set eyes that helped make her famous

Deep-set

The eye-brow appears to be more prominent than usual with the eyes looking deeper into the socket. Lighten the inner crease of your eye and cover your eyelid with a light eye-shadow, and use a slightly darker eye shadow on your socket line, dipping a little bit out at the edges. Ignoring your inner lashline, sweep out midway on both your upper and bottom lash line, keeping your eyeliner thin. Add lashings of mascara for extra oomph.

Line the inner rim of your lower eyelid (known as the waterline) with white eyeliner to "open" your eyes and with dark brown liquid eyeliner (black can sometimes be a bit too harsh), line your top eyelid gradually thickening at the edges. Fake eyelashes can open your eyes further.